8 events not to miss at the Brisbane Writers Festival 2018

Next week, The Brisbane Writers Festival will be welcomed by the city, taking over the State Library of Queensland precinct from September 6-9th. As always there is a smorgasbord of literary treats to choose from. But fear not! We are here to help you avoid that age old problem of the festival goer with too many people to see and too little time. Here are our top picks to pack your program, and get the most out of your weekend.

Detours: Tim Rogers

Sept 8th / 7:30 pm / The Edge

Best known as the front man of Rock ‘n’ Roll band You Am I, Tim Rogers’ expertise extends to acting, composing, compering and also now writing. Rogers’ self-deprecating memoir, Detours, explores his life, as just another drunk Aussie bloke, without any of that bravado usually associated with rock stars. Rogers will be in conversation with The Go-Betweens‘ Robert Forster, so come and join these two Australian music legends as they discuss self-acceptance, love, anxiety, music and footy. Don’t miss out on the unique perspective of a man who’s seen it all, and probably done it all.

BWF Closing Address: Dr Karl Kruszelnicki

Sept 9th / 3:45 pm / Auditorium 1

The man who did the impossible. Dr Karl received an “Ig-Nobel” Prize from Harvard University for tackling life’s biggest issues, belly button fluff, and has the longest standing segment on Triple J. But more importantly he’s the man who made science cool! Dr Karl has published his newest book, Karl, the universe and everything, on top of his previous 43 books- but who’s counting? The theme of this years Brisbane Writers Festival is “what the world needs to know” and quite frankly who better to discuss this than a man who really does seems to know everything; and better still knows how to explain it so we all understand it… at least about belly button fluff.

The Life to Come: Michelle de Kretser

Sept 8th / 12:15 pm / Auditorium 2

Winning her the Miles Franklin Literary Award (for the second time!), Michelle de Kretser’s enthralling novel, The Life To Come tackles the absurdity of human nature. In the novel, De Kretser focuses on our flawed perceptions of others, and the ways in which we often obstruct the truth when story telling. Fresh from the Miles Franklin Award ceremony, De Kretser is sure to provide all the “oooohhs” and “aaahs” over lunch as we ponder the craziness of life.

Veronica Roth and Kim Wilkins will be talking all things writing and Spec Fic. For people not cool enough to be up to date on the lingo in the writing world, Spec Fic is the umbrella genre encompassing narrative fiction with supernatural or futuristic elements. If you aren’t sold already, you’ll be able to get your hands on a signed copy of TheFates Divide, the latest book in Roth’s new Carve the Mark duology; a dystopian portrayal of the power of love and friendship. It doesn’t stop there though… there’ll be music performances, role playing activities and you’re also invited to get in the cosplay spirit, and come as Tris or Caleb, or any of your Spec Fic faves. Or just come as yourself!

What do The Bachelor host Osher Günsberg, Aboriginal NRL star Joe Williams and Brisbane author Samuel Maguire all have in common? Apart from being successful Aussie legends, they’ve all experienced some serious mental health issues, and are now committed to helping others by sharing their remarkably similar stories. Crediting his recovery to listening to other people’s stories, Osher returns the favour in his memoir Back, After The Break, whilst still continuing to be more of a heart throb than the actual bachelor. Williams also opened up about his own mental health issues in his 2018 autobiography Defying The Enemy Within, displaying a vulnerability you’d never expect from a footy player. While, Maguire explores the line where imagination and real life blur, drawing upon his own experiences as inspiration for his fiction. This all star lineup really is not only one of the festival’s must see event, but also another important step in addressing the often off-limits and taboo topic of men’s mental health.

Who dun it? Everyone loves a good crime novel and these guys have written two of the best. Two-time Walkley Award Winner Trent Dalton’s debut novel Boy Swallows Universe, is fresh on the shelves and walks you through his unconventional childhood in the Queensland criminal underworld. Trent Dalton is joined on the panel by A.J Finn, a writer, editor and publisher who The Sydney Morning Herald suggests is simply “a man who was born to write about crime”. Having completed his doctoral thesis on Patricia Highsmith, and with other ten years experience publishing crime and thriller genre fiction, Finn clearly knows his stuff! Should you attend this session? That one shouldn’t be too hard to solve. YES!

Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia with Anita Heiss

Sept 9th / 10:00 am / Kuril Dhagun, State Library of Queensland

Dr. Anita Heiss‘ Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia is the culmination of many different and diverse voices, experiences and personal stories, all aiming to answer the question: What is it like growing up Aboriginal in Australia? A Brisbane local, Dr. Heiss somehow manages to still find time to write, dividing her time between writing, MCing and public speaking, not to mention all her philanthropic work with the Epic Good Foundation and the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. With calls for constitutional and social reform growing louder, don’t miss this insight into out very own country from Dr. Heiss.

Any talk of “What the world needs to know”, should surely begin at knowing ourselves and each other, right? Well this panel is here to help shed some light, and dispel some misconceptions. Nevo Zisin, author of the personal and ever-so-slightly political Finding Nevo is waiting for the world to understand gender and all the complexities that come with it. In a bid to help this process along, Zisin runs gender inclusivity workshops and acts as a point of contact in the Jewish community for others facing their own issues of gender and sexuality. Meanwhile, young author Jay Carmichael’s debut novel Ironbark, published earlier this year by Scribe, is a relatable coming-of-age non-hetro story, and found him shortlisted for Victorian Premier’s Award for an Unpublished Manuscript in 2016. Taking a different spin on the topic is Brisbane bookseller and writer Krissy Kneen. The award-winning author has published collections of erotica, sensual fiction as well as poetry and memoir, addressing all things often considered taboo with a wit that has delighted readers, and stopped them from cringing. This mixed bag of authors and activists are sure to bounce off each other and give us a whole new unique insight on gender and sexuality in our society.

The Brisbane Writers Festival will run from 6-9th September at the State Library of Queensland precinct, the home of the Brisbane Writers Festival. Some events will also be taking place in suburban libraries around the city.

For more information, tickets and to view the complete program visit HERE.